


The Beta

by Sandlight



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Conflict Resolution, Developing Relationship, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Love, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, POV First Person, Panic Attacks, Pansexual Character, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Sex, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, a/b/o dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 06:58:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19043473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandlight/pseuds/Sandlight
Summary: "In the end, it was her and Justin both begging me to give it a try. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. It’s our business alone, and we already know we can make our friendship work. As long as we are honest and open and willing to solve problems, there is no reason why we can’t make this work too.” That was Justin, appealing to my logic.Janie had already said everything she needed to, so she attacked from a different angle. She stood on tiptoes and kissed me softly. I had no time to prepare for it, so I just gave right in. I kissed back, and after a moment, she was licking inquisitively at my lips."





	The Beta

**Author's Note:**

> I love A/B/O dynamics, and when I read one with a polyamorous triad, I was inspired to write my own take on it.

The first time I tried on my prescription glasses, I was in awe. The doctor had freckles all over his cheeks and his skin was a little too dry and flaky. I could see the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes as he frowned and adjusted the frames. I turned to my mom and I could see every detail on her face, even though she was sitting across the room. I could see that her sweater was crocheted and I even noticed a small stain near her shoulder. I could see everything in so much  _ detail _ . It was like I had entered a new world or gained a superpower or something equally as amazing.

I remember that feeling with clarity, so I can confidently say that that is exactly how I felt the first time I saw Janie smile. I was sitting with Justin, my new friend from tutoring - he had come to me for guitar lessons and given up after two lessons, but we got along so well that we exchanged numbers and started to hang out - when she scampered past us. Unfortunately, Justin had stretched out his long legs and was relaxing with his feet crossed out in front of him, so when Janie passed by, she tripped on his foot and fell straight forward onto the concrete. I saw the whole thing as if in slow motion, but I couldn't stop it in time. Still, for once I reacted faster than my more athletic companion and I was out of my seat and by her side in moments.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” I blurted, my hands awkwardly hovering over her body. She had caught herself on her hands and knees, but she wasn't looking up yet. I was waiting for the shoe to fall as I heard Justin shouting frantic apologies.

Then, she lifted her head and flashed us both the brightest grin I have ever seen. It was like she understood something about life, about the world, that I never had, and I realized that I needed to make it my mission to find out what she already knew. “I'm fine, don't worry!” she chirped. Her voice was sweet. And she was cute. Not sexy or even beautiful, really. Just… adorable beyond belief. “Just a scratch.” She lifted her small hands to show us, but they were both scratched and starting to bleed. My eyes went wide and Justin finally knelt next to us.

“Aw, shit! I mean - pardon my language - it's just… your hands! You got really hurt. I'm so sorry!” I turned my head to stare at Justin. He never apologized for cussing. What I saw on his face though gave me pause. His eyes were wide with concern and there was something in his earnest face… he liked her. Or at least he found her attractive; obviously, he didn't know her yet. I sort of had this pang of jealousy then, because even though we had never talked about it, I thought that we had something special with each other. I knew for sure I had a crush on Justin. And I thought… it had been a few months since we met, so maybe I was just plain wrong. But we always had this awkward tension, and…

Suddenly, he turned to me and our eyes locked. “Al? Can we go to your dorm? She needs to clean those cuts and get some bandaids.” And just like that, the jealousy was gone. Whatever I had thought was between us was  _ still there _ . That tender look, that helpless plea for me to come save him. I sighed my relief, but I hadn't forgotten about our new companion.

I turned back to her with a critical eye. Yes, she needed some first aid. It wasn't an emergency, but she had dirt and gravel in her scrapes.

“Uh, yeah… hey. Do you have somewhere to go? My dorm is really close, if you don't mind following us there,” I said to the girl. She was starting to look worried.

“I… um. I was just heading to the bus stop to go home. I can…” She looked at her hands, and her brow furrowed in cute little wrinkles.

“Hey, you don't have to if you don't want to,” Justin said, smiling warmly. “It's okay, though. Al's a nice guy.” Then he smiled conspiratorially to her. “If you're nervous, though, I'll go with you.”

At that, she smiled back and to my surprise, she agreed to come with us. That was how we met Janie, and how she joined our group. We became fast friends, and she was actually the one who first brought up dating.

 

Justin was only an alpha in technicality. He was honestly the most laid-back alpha I knew, and he was goofy and and friendly rather than cold and aloof. He was tall, but lean rather than obviously muscular, and he rarely got bossy or moody. On the flip side, I could probably pass for an alpha if it wasn’t for my lack of a scent.

Growing up, I always knew I would become an alpha. I was always something of a loner and I didn’t really understand people. I was picky and I wanted people to just listen to me rather than try to figure out things on their own. When I entered puberty, I started to fantasize about the omega I would find one day and how he would submit to me. When I finally presented as a beta, I was shocked, and so was everyone who knew me. It took me a long time, but I eventually did grow accustomed to the idea. I found that I actually had an advantage, not being a pigheaded alpha. I was never overwhelmed with hormones to the point of losing my senses, and that was really nice.

By the time I met Justin, I knew that I was pansexual. I liked men more, but I could appreciate women too. I certainly had fantasies about dominating an omega, but now that I knew it would never happen, I actually enjoyed watching it more than anything, and then I could appreciate the alpha too. So I thought Justin was a pretty good match.

He didn’t mind when I pushed him around, and he never coddled me too much. We got along really well, and nothing about our dispositions clashed too much. That was rare enough for a person like me.

When Janie became a constant in our lives, it didn’t upset the balance at all. In fact, it really just evened things out more. She was an omega, and a needy one, at that. She basked in the attentions of a playful alpha and an uptight beta. It was often me who had to take care of the both of them, because they egged each other on and got too silly and childish, but I didn’t mind most of the time.

If (and when) Justin and I clashed too much, Janie was there to smooth things out. She was constantly cheerful, even more so than Justin. She was sweet and a good listener. She cared about both of us and wanted us to be happy, and she was definitely more competent with emotions than either of us.

That was probably why she was the first to bring it up.

“I like you both, you know? And I know you like each other too. I want something more than just friendship… and why bother choosing when you can have the best of both worlds?” She smiled and fluttered her eyes coquettishly. Justin took awhile to understand what she was getting at. I knew exactly what she was asking and resisted hard. It was not conventional. It was  _ not _ the way things were done.

In the end, it was her and Justin both begging me to give it a try. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. It’s our business alone, and we already know we can make our friendship work. As long as we are honest and open and willing to solve problems, there is no reason why we can’t make this work too.” That was Justin, appealing to my logic. He was more of a go-with-the-flow type of guy, but I knew he could put in the work when it was needed. He had sat down to talk through conflict before with me, even when he would rather just forget about it.

Janie had already said everything she needed to, so she attacked from a different angle. She stood on tiptoes and kissed me softly. I had no time to prepare for it, so I just gave right in. I kissed back, and after a moment, she was licking inquisitively at my lips. I might have let out a breathy sound of pleasure, and then Justin broke in petulantly. “Hey! Is that a yes? Because I’ve held off on kissing till we roped you in too, so this seems kind of unfair.”

I broke away from Janie, flushed and still confused. Janie had already decided for me though. She laughed and turned around to kiss Justin for the first time. I watched them, calming my heart, and I didn’t feel like an intruder at all. When she stepped back from him, they both looked at me expectantly. “Okay,” I breathed, and Justin moved immediately to cover my lips with his own.

 

And we did work it out. There was a lot to talk through, especially at first. Even though things felt good, natural, in a way none of us had experienced before in previous binary relationships, there were obstacles to overcome. Jealousy was not a foreign concept. We had to remain very aware of each other, and also ourselves, to keep it at bay. Still, at the end of a long day, I was glad Janie had Justin to cuddle with, because she needed it, but I wanted to be alone. They were happy to give me my privacy, and then welcome me back with open arms when I was ready. Justin was glad Janie had me to go to with her more difficult dilemmas, because he felt uncomfortable being too serious and giving advice. And even Janie was grateful at times to be left out, because she had a booming social life, but she worried if she was out too often. This way she knew at least we had each other when she was busy with friends.

We moved in with each other after less than a year. Others’ opinions of our relationship was always a problem, especially for Janie, so we really wanted to have our own space to just relax and be ourselves with decent privacy. There were quirks to adapt to and a lot of small arguments, but there was always a third party to help mediate and all of us were determined to make it work. So we did. Slowly but surely, we made a place for each other in our hearts until none of us could imagine being without the others. We moved too fast, according to our families and friends. We should take our time, there was no rush.

But being close to each other felt good, it felt right, and all three of us wanted it no other way. That was why after only a few months of being in the house together, we agreed to let Janie quit her heat suppressants. She never liked how they made her feel, she said, and now that she had a safe place to spend her heat, there was no reason for her to keep taking the medication. Justin had never helped an omega through their heat, and I obviously had no experience, but we didn’t go into it without doing any research. I spent hours reading up on what would happen, what it would feel like for both Janie and Justin, and what would help them through it best. Justin sat down to read through some of it too, and we talked about it endlessly. When Janie stopped her medication, we were ready.

 

She called me when the moment came. “Alvin? It’s going to happen tonight,” she said, her voice barely wavering. I could tell she was afraid though, because she only ever used my full name if she was scared or angry. I forced myself to stay calm.

“Okay, that’s fine. How are you feeling now? I’ll be home by five, do you think that is early enough, or should I ask to leave sooner?” Even a beta could make a reasonable excuse by claiming their partner was in heat. And I had warned my boss already that it might be coming up soon.

“Um. I’m fine, I think. Just really warm. But it won’t really start for a few hours, so you should stay at work.”

I nodded to myself. She would be feeling off for a while, but she should be safe being alone until one of us could get home. “Okay. Have you called Justin yet? He’ll come home after his next ride, remember?” Justin just worked driving for uber right now, so he could make his own hours.

“Yeah. I just… I wasn’t ready to call him yet.”

I could read into what she didn’t say out loud. Once Justin knew she was in heat, his alpha would start taking over. It didn’t happen often with our puppy-like lover, but even he couldn’t fight instinct. Soon enough, Janie would crave the touch and attention that Justin would be giving her. But she wasn’t fully into her heat yet, and I knew from our talks that she was nervous about it taking over. As soon as she told Justin, things would become a lot more real for her. “All right. Just call him soon, okay, Janie? Things are going to be fine. I promise we’ll both take good care of you.”

“I know,” she told me with a sniff. If she was crying, she might be moving into things faster than she anticipated.

“Hey, I am going to get back to work,” I told her gently. “If I can finish up a few big things, I can probably leave without an issue. Call Justin once you are off the phone with me, okay? I don’t want you to be alone.”

“Yeah, okay. I will. Thanks, Al.” I smiled, and then said my farewell quickly. I had somewhere to be.

 

When I walked through the door that evening, I was met by a wave of stench. It smelled like Janie and Justin, mixed, but like they were both sick. And having sex at the same time. It smelled like a heat, I supposed. The sex smell set me on edge at first. We had agreed beforehand that they should start without me, if they needed to, but I still wanted to be there. Then I walked in fully and found them both on the couch, Janie curled into a ball on Justin’s lap.

“Hey,” I whispered, afraid to break the mood. Justin smiled at me, calming my nerves. Then Janie stirred and lifted her reddened face. She saw me and held out grabby hands. I dropped my things and stepped forward to hug her. “Hey baby,” I cooed. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” she purred back. “‘Specially now that you’re here.” She busied herself with burying her face in my neck over the back on the couch. I stroked her back and met Justin’s eyes.

“Things have been fine. We’ve just been watching TV, waiting for you to get home.” I nodded and gave him a grateful smile. I finally maneuvered a whiny Janie back into Justin’s arms, because she didn’t want to walk, and he carried her into the bedroom while I turned off the TV and then followed after them.

Justin had laid Janie down in the middle of the bed. I jumped a bit when he whirled around and grabbed my hand to pull me all the way into the bedroom. “Look at her,” he growled, and for the first time, I noticed that his alpha was very aroused. I silently applauded his patience in waiting for me.

Then I obeyed and looked at Janie. She was wearing one of my shirts, too big on her slight frame. She had nothing on her lower half. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes glazed. She already looked thoroughly fucked and we hadn’t even started anything yet. My own blood began to rush downward.

“You’re gorgeous, Janie,” I said, my voice coming out gravelly.

“Come here,” she whined at us. Justin shoved me firmly enough that I stumbled towards the bed. He climbed up by her head, so I settled in at the foot of the bed.

“Spread your legs, Janie,” Justin ordered. She did, without hesitation. I blinked, and then looked up at Justin, but he shook his head. “I want to see you with your face in her cunt, Al.” My cheeks turned red at his uncharacteristically crude words, but I didn’t hesitate long. Janie’s needy whimpers only egged me on. I licked her down where it was all smooth for a while, her body soft and pliant with hardly any effort on my part. When I felt a tug on my hair, I lifted my face to receive a sloppy kiss from Justin. He had Janie’s head pillowed in his lap, but after we kissed, he started to move.

“Please, guys,” Janie whispered, almost incoherent. “No more teasing.”

Justin growled at that, and I moved out of the way as he came to position himself over her. With no ceremony, he shucked off his shorts, and then eased his very hard dick into our omega. I was fine watching this, but then something changed. I can’t pinpoint when it happened, but Justin began to fuck her, leaning forward to kiss her thoroughly, and I realized I was on the sidelines. Janie’s arms and legs moved to cling all around Justin’s body and I was just… sitting there, watching. I could touch them, insert myself. My logic told me I should, that it was okay; they were just acting on powerful hormones. They didn’t mean it.

But for the first time, in my own bed, I felt unwanted. Both of them were so engrossed in each other, they probably wouldn’t notice if I just… left. So I did. It wasn’t a decision so much as a reaction, and I couldn’t even tell whether it was anger, fear, jealousy, or something else driving me to flee from my own home.

I didn’t know I was crying. I didn’t know where I was going or why I left. I just ran, which was a feat in itself, because I hate to run. I ended up collapsing against the community mailbox, an embarrassingly short distance from our house. I couldn’t really care, though, so I just pulled my knees up to my chest and sobbed.

It felt like ages that I stayed there, calming a little, only to fiercely regret what I had done. If I had just waited, pushed through, I could still be there. And it wasn’t like they would forget about me forever, it was just difficult, and this was our first heat together, I knew all this. But here I was, shivering in the too-cold air while my partners made love with each other. I was an idiot.

It was still light, so I couldn’t have been gone for long, despite how it felt, when I saw Justin coming my way. He hadn’t seen me yet, and he was searching, his eyes darting back and forth around the street. His gait was all wrong, weirdly stunted. Tears stained his face, and he looked wrecked. Honestly, I was shocked. It must have taken a lot for him to willingly leave Janie in her heat. Why had he come?

Despite this, I couldn’t find the strength to stand. He found me, though, and broke into a staggering run. “Al! Alvin…” He fell to his knees in front of me and framed my face with his large hands. “Oh my god, Alvin, I was so scared. I’m so sorry! We just stopped thinking for a moment, I’m so sorry. We both are. We never meant to exclude you, please. Don’t hate us, Al.” I teared up all over again.

“I don’t hate you,” I told him weakly. Pathetic, I put my hands on top of his. “I… I know it wasn’t on purpose. I am the one who is sorry, I was being too dramatic...”

“No,” Justin said firmly, using his alpha tone, even though he was still crying a little. He pulled me into a suffocating hug and I just relaxed in his arms and let him take over. “No, we hurt you. We were awful; this isn’t your fault.” I didn’t take the words to heart, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. I flung my arms around him in return, but after a moment, I stiffened.

“You left Janie alone!” I said, not accusatory, just worried.

Justin pulled back, anxiety filling his features. “We didn’t know where you went. I had to make sure you were safe and Janie agreed.”

I took in a trembling breath. “I really messed up, didn’t I? I’m so sorry. Let’s get back to Janie, she needs us most.” While I moved to stand, Justin stayed still. I faltered, suddenly filled with uncertainty. “That is… if you want me to come back?”

Justin abruptly leapt up. “Yes! Of course, we need you to come home. We can talk about this more later, okay?” I nodded and took Justin’s hand to stand up. We supported each other on the short walk home that felt like miles and finally made it to our door.

With a surge of energy, Justin bursted in the door and darted towards our room. Ever the careful one, I shut the door and followed after almost hesitantly. Justin was already hovering over Janie’s small form. She was curled up, trembling and whimpering. Justin stroked her back gently. “Hush, baby, it’s okay. He’s home. Al came home with me, he’s back. It’s okay.”

I stood in the doorway, afraid to come in. I didn’t know how Janie would react to me. Very slowly, Justin coaxed her to raise her head, and when she saw me, she froze. “Alvin?” she asked. Her voice was shaking. Then her lip trembled. “Do you… hate us?”

I swallowed my fear and rushed to her side. “No, no, Janie. Of course not. I just… got scared. I’m so sorry, Janie, I never should have left you.” She looked up at me, completely weak and vulnerable in her current state. I hated myself for my own moment of weakness. Then, she jumped on me with such force that I might have fallen off the bed if it weren’t for Justin catching me by the upper arm. “Woah,” I grunted as she clung to me, octopus-style. “Hey, Janie,” I began, but then she lifted her head, removed an arm from my neck, and then… slapped me. I gaped. She wheeled back and slapped me again. And again.

It wasn’t until the fourth time that Justin came to his senses and caught her arm. “Janie!” he warned. “Janie, stop. You’re hurting him.”

“I was  _ so scared! _ ” she wailed, clinging to me again. I felt like I was getting whiplash, but Justin seemed to know how to handle this emotional Janie. He gently began to peel her off of me.

“He was scared too, Janie baby. That’s all. He was scared and he didn’t know what to do, but it’s okay now. He is back, and we won’t mess up anymore; we are all going to be okay. Just relax, baby. I know you’re upset, but you can relax now. I’ll take care of everything.” As he talked, Janie slowly lost her tension in his lap. He beckoned me over too, and I relaxed against his side, listening to his words. Eventually, his speech petered out and we shared a comfortable silence. I knew we would talk about everything later, but we couldn’t now. Janie was an emotional mess, and Justin a different type of emotional mess. I was too, come to think of it. We would talk after Janie’s heat, when we were all calm and rational. For now, we just needed each others’ comfort.

After a while, Janie spoke up. “Alvin? Will you kiss me?”

I sat up and smiled. As an answer, I placed my lips gently on hers. She responded sweetly at first but it quickly escalated. I was surprised by how needy she became; she was normally a fairly needy person, so this was quite a feat for her. She kissed me like she would never get the chance again, and I tried my best to match her passion, opening my mouth and licking, sucking, biting. Underneath me, I was vaguely aware of her moving and after a moment, a soft groan from Justin gave away what she was doing. Then his hands came around to steady my hips and he growled out a low, “Turn over.”

I made a small noise of assent, but the actual act was a lot more difficult, since Janie clung to my face and wouldn't let me go. Somehow, we managed to turn all three of us around, though. I was laid flat on my back by Justin and Janie quickly took advantage of my new position to start kissing lower and lower down my body. Justin began to rub up against Janie for a moment, but I met his eyes over Janie's golden head and I could tell he wasn't satisfied.

“Justin?” I croaked out. I meant to say more, but Janie made it to my penis right then, and my eyes went wide. He kept looking at me, his movement stilling and a frown growing on his face.

“Janie,” he said urgently. Janie lifted her face from her ministrations with an audible pop. She turned to look at Justin, but I saw the way her eyes were glazed with pleasure already. “Janie, let Al fuck you. I'll fuck him, then he’ll be right in the middle.” I breathed in sharply through my nose, but that was all Justin needed for my consent. Still, I was no alpha. I tried to sit up.

“Wait, Janie. Is it going to be good enough? It won't be the same as having Justin inside you…” I swallowed, only slightly embarrassed about having to point out my own deficits. It was just nature. I wasn't made to satisfy her needs, not in a heat.

Janie turned back to me, eyes wide. Her pupils were blown, I noticed, like she had taken something. “No, Al, it's not the same. But I love you both. I want both of you tonight, and I might as well start with you. As long as you're both here, with me.”

I licked my lips. She made it sound so nice. “Al,” Justin whispered. He came forward and gave me a slow, thorough kiss. “Let us take care of you. You'll take care of us too, we trust you. It's okay.” I blinked up at him. Any other alpha would have just told me exactly how it would be, no arguments. This was why I loved Justin. I nodded carefully, and trusted him.

 

The next morning we all slept in late after a very long and exhausting night. Even once we woke up, we had a very lazy morning. Janie was over the worst of her heat, but she was still a little whiny and clingy. We were all sore and worn out. We all needed showers. We all needed food.

After we had conquered most of our basic needs, we were all cuddled on the couch. Justin sat in the middle, but neither Janie nor I were in such a simple position, tangled together as we were. I thought Janie had fallen asleep again when she spoke up. “Alvin, why did you leave us yesterday?”

I stiffened. Justin immediately started stroking my back. I was pretty sure he understood my actions yesterday, but he kept quiet, letting me explain for myself. I took a deep breath. “I'm not totally sure, Janie. I guess when you two started being so involved with each other, I panicked. I'm sorry I did it, I didn't mean to upset you both so much. I wasn't thinking at all.”

Janie lifted her head to look at me with soft brown eyes and a very compelling pout. “Hey, I didn't ask for an apology.”

“I know,” I told her. “But I owe you one. Both of you.”

“Al, it wasn't all you. We both lost our heads, and we shouldn't have left you out like that.” Justin spoke sternly, still using his alpha-tone, probably still reacting to some pheromones from Janie. I rubbed my face on his chest.

“Yeah, I didn't like that. But I overreacted, way too much.”

Janie touched my free cheek gently. “I'm sorry we did that to you, Al. We love you, you know? We messed up, but… we wouldn't have forgotten about you. Or you could have just butted in!” She flashed me a silly grin. I smiled weakly back.

“I know, but… it just felt wrong. You guys needed each other and I was just…” I shrugged, feeling awkward, feeling stupid and dramatic.

“We need you too!” Janie said, her voice too sharp. Justin began to stroke her too.

“I know! After last night, I know. I just… I was scared. I panicked. I don't know…”

Justin sighed and then lifted my face up so he could kiss me chastely. “Al. It's all right, I forgive you.” He smiled gently. I smiled back, and then looked at Janie hesitantly.

She pursed her lips. “I forgive you too,” she said with a put-upon sigh. “Just don't ever forget again how important you are. Now… do you forgive us too?”

I smile again. “Of course.” With that, she wrapped her arm around me and snuggled back into Justin. I relaxed into him too. I didn't think it would be over with just that, but we would heal up fine. There would be no broken hearts or ruined relationships from this mess. And honestly? After that first mistake, Janie's heat went quite well. We would manage this fine.

It didn't matter that I was “just a beta” because I fit perfectly with these two.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! This is mostly meant to be feel-good, angsty fluff. :)


End file.
